Most of their flight are only an hour or so long and the seat pitch/room is better than DL or CO on similar acfts so I think Southwest is actually a bit more comfortable and the "food" service is actually better than many others on short flights. As for fares, check their website today---their 31 anniv and they have 31$ ow fares all over the country--dont see many carriers matching them either.........checkit out. Overall I think you were a bit harsh on them although boarding and lining up for boarding passes is a rather chaotic experience and is probably the worst thing about southwest (made worse by the get-to-the-airport-real-early-for-shoe-inspection) Dennis